THE LAST POINT: Weathering the weather a big factor

Wondering how many of you are thinking of putting the heat back on at the moment? After a gloriously long and warm Summer with a truly incredible lack of rain, traditional Irish weather has roared back into our consciousness over the past two weekends and it definitely is having an impact on how teams are approaching games.

You know the weather is taking a turn for the worst when you're standing on a sideline, the rain is coming at you almost horizontally and you're  afraid to hoist up your umbrella, terrified that a gust of wind would tear your rotator cuff clean off, whatever about keeping the notebook dry so that you can make some sense of what you've scribbled down after eventually drying off later that evening.

It just goes to show you how spoiled we were for the Summer - standing on sidelines in short sleeves, what direction the sun was blazing down the only concern and maybe the need to wear a hat. Certainly it makes a difference to the enjoyment levels, maybe even our perception of what we're witnessing - after all, when you're shivering in the rain and wind, it's hard to find the simple joy we all take from our sporting pursuits.

I'm sure if your team ends up winning a County Final, League or Championship, whatever your sport, it won't matter a jot if it is pouring rain, bitterly cold or 30 degrees but I believe that it is no coincidence that the County Finals commonly agreed as the best in living memory all took place in atypical glorious sunshine - last year's double date for Mohill and Ballinamore Sean O'Heslins enjoying remarkable weather for the time of the year.

Going back almost 30 years, Allen Gaels and St Mary's Kiltoghert fought out a drab draw in 1996 that matched the day's weather. But in the replay, the blistering heat and bright sunshine was emulated by an equally blistering encounter that eventually saw the Drumshanbo men pip their Carrick rivals in a game I still reckon, marginally though, as the best Senior Final I've witnessed in the county.

THE LAST POINT: TRANSFER WINDOW MADNESS BAFFLING

Glencar Manorhamilton beat Carrigallen in another thriller back in 2009, a game that benefited from much earlier scheduling in the year and beautiful weather. Maybe I'm falling into the trap of drawing conclusions I like but there have been titanic clashes between teams of genuine class and accomplishment over the years that never lived up to the hype and oftentimes, weather conditions dictating how games are going to be played.

It's a factor that becomes ever more important now that we're about to reach the knockout stages of the championship in both the mens and ladies competitions and the wonderful football we've witnessed, for the most part, in the group stages is likely to be replaced by more pragmatic approach as conditions, more specifically, the wind will dictate how teams approach games.

The new playing rules in gaelic football have been a wonderful success but the football we witnessed during the inter-county championship was very different to what we were treated to during the League at the start of the year. Back then, the imperative was to make the most of the wind when it was at our back - and that will be the case for club football.

If your team is proficient at the new two pointer, you will relish the increasing winds we've witnessed over the last two weekends - it was a major factor in Glencar Manorhamilton getting the better of Aughawillan in the Senior grade, their tally of seven two pointers putting the game beyond the reach of the defiant Willies. The home side had five of their own but with a three point margin at the end, the game might have been played much differently had the old scoring rules applied.

Keith Beirne's ability to hit long range two pointers is a boon to Mohill, particularly when indiscipline presents the opportunity to move the ball out the field for a two pointer with the wind at your back, changing the very nature of the contest. I'd imagine the message for teams will be to keep your discipline and your mouth shut when the wind is against you and maybe see what you might provoke from an undisciplined opponent when the wind is howling at your back.

Last weekend was an illustration of how conditions can dictate a game - Friday's Junior game between Cloone and Eslin on a pleasant evening under lights in Cloone yielded just two pointers from the boot of Conor Beirne, both from frees at opposite ends of the field with the wind not a particularly important factor.

Both teams went for it with two point attempts but they just didn't fall but, as winter approaches, teams may alter their strategy accordingly  because three two pointers, particularly from placed balls, are a lot easier to come by than scoring two goals.

Saturday, St Hugh's Park in Ballinaglera was the destination and the howling wind and rain was absolutely the decisive factor in the contest. Ballinaglera launched kicks in the first half that would have sailed over the bar were it not for the wind but Annaduff took a different approach, holding onto the ball for long, long periods, eating up the clock before trying for close-range scores.

THE LAST POINT: A FEW TWEAKS HERE AND THERE

Ironically, the decisive score of the game came very much against convention as Kyle Russell scorched through the Ballinaglera defence to place a precise ball in the corner of the net - this when Annaduff had the considerable wind at their backs but found it hard to convert their chances.

That's the dilemma when playing with the wind - inside forwards are conditioned to come out the field looking for the ball but the urgency to make use of the wind, via two pointers, leads to shots that are long on power but short on accuracy. My uneducated take is  if you have the wind howling behind you, better place your full-forward trio along the endline - that way, they may just have a small hope of getting onto the inevitable long balls that are scooting out over the endline!

Two pointers are the new goals of gaelic football and they’re changing the way we think about the game, the contrast with the Ladies game startlingly evident when the wind is blowing. It takes no genius to predict that the team who can guarantee regular bonus points from their long range shoots will take quite a bit of stopping this Championship season so you'll forgive us if we're all going to become amateur meteorologists for the next few weeks!